The Social Festival 2016

The Social Festival 2016
Back for a third year, The Social Festival 2016 pulled together some of dance music's biggest names for a two-day event at Kent County Showground in Maidstone. The 40 or so acts, which ranged from global heavyweights to homegrown talents, spread themselves among four stages: The Meadow, The Barn, Stables and Bamboo Village.

As with most open-air UK events, the mood changed with the weather. Friday's sunny spells meant spirits were cheery and laid-back, while persistent drizzle on Saturday evening left many miserable and on an impatient search for cover. Only two arenas were open on Friday, the more low-key of the two days. The Meadow and The Barn were sizeable and kitted out with solid soundsystems, but their marquee roofs and carpeted floors weren't conducive to the Ibiza atmosphere touted on the website. ("Would make a nice wedding venue," I heard one punter comment.) It was also a shame to be stuck indoors when the weather was so nice, though Eats Everything's set in The Barn was a neat distraction. His selection of visceral deep house kept the masses dancing energetically despite the heavy heat.

The Meadow, the bigger of the two stages, was more ventilated. Amidst a whirlwind of flames, strobes and smoke machines, Nic Fanciulli delivered on production and FX, even if some of his tracks failed to stir the crowd. Sasha and John Digweed, reunited for a three-hour back-to-back, played behind a screen partition and dropped classics like Underworld's "Dark And Long (Dark Train)" to rapturous applause. Their set was easily one of the weekend's highlights.

Roughly 18,000 people attended the Saturday, with Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier and Bicep among the main draws. Away from house and techno, Bamboo Village offered a stellar drum & bass lineup that pulled together a range of styles, from Roni Size and DJ Majistrate's energetic jump up to more traditional breakbeat fare from Goldie and DJ Zinc. Zinc rolled out an impressive hit-heavy set, including his own remix of The Fugees' "Ready Or Not." He closed with The Jackson 5's "Blame It On The Boogie."

It felt like most people had come to see Carl Cox. The UK giant played for two hours on his own in The Meadow, before Fanciulli joined him for a back-to-back. The venue was packed to the rafters, with streams of punters fighting their way in through narrow entrances. Both sets were warmly received, though Fanciulli's melodic techno didn't do as much damage as Cox's arsenal of Ibiza bangers. In the end, to avoid the crush, I escaped and flitted between the other arenas. Bicep's set at the beautifully decorated Stables—the festival's only outdoor stage—was a welcome respite from the overheated marquees, although the crowd traffic wasn't much better. I've also got to give a special shout out to the unsung DJs at the VIP area and Reggae Shack, whose choice of timeless classics were greatly appreciated by passersby.

This was The Social's first year at Kent County Showground, and that brought with it inevitable teething problems. A confusing layout and fluctuating numbers across the two days meant the site never quite felt the right size. Friday's crowds were sparse, while most stages on Saturday were overpopulated, sometimes dangerously so. But while it may not have delivered entirely on the promised Ibiza experience, the festival was, for the most part, enjoyable, with a warm, generous atmosphere. With just a few tweaks to the site, including more outdoor spaces, next year's edition could be even better.